Community steps up to help Phoenix high school student battling cancer

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) - It’s a nightmare that is never-ending for the Colwell family. Lucas Colwell, a senior at Thunderbird High School in north Phoenix, was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor known as medulloblastoma on Aug. 6.

“I couldn’t talk. I couldn’t really see. I was having an episode full of stuff,” Lucas said. Then he had to undergo an intense seven-and-a-half-hour surgery to remove a majority of the tumor.

Now after spending nearly two weeks in the hospital, Lucas is back home. “It feels good to be in my own bed now and to be comfy,” he said.

While the surgery was a success, he still has a long road to recovery. “Radiation and chemo are going to start Sept. 5,” said Bobby Colwell, Lucas’ dad. “It’s every single day at Mayo and then every single day at PCH (Phoenix Children’s Hospital).”

The hope is that Lucas will be able to enjoy his final year of high school while undergoing these treatments, then be cancer-free next year. “I want him to enjoy senior year. I want him to go to homecoming, go to prom, graduate,” Bobby said.

Since Lucas has been diagnosed, people across the community have been stepping up to help. From 6 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 29, there will be a fundraiser for Lucas at the Mellow Mushroom pizzeria on Happy Valley Road just east of Interstate 17.

The family also has a GoFundMe to help with the overwhelming medical bills. That can be found here.

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